Have we been home 3 weeks already?

Here is a picture of our family on Thanksgiving Day. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

A lot has happened since she has been home. She turned 1 on Nov 12. Here's a picture of her with the Dora cake that Matthew picked out.



It was the first thing she put in her mouth that wasn't pureed. She's actually a great eater, but for the first several weeks, she would not let me put anything in her mouth that wasn't mashed up. Now she will eat small pieces of food, but can not do it herself. I am expecting her to catch up on this part fast. Her love of food only matches mine! We do have some things in common.

Her sleeping has improved tremendously. (It couldn't have gone the other direction.) She will sleep through the night now. She might cry out every now and then, but for the most part, she's sleeping from 7:30 until 8:30-9:00. She takes one nap a day for about 2 hours. She probably needs 2 naps a day, but with the schedule around here and with all the new toys to discover, that's not going to happen. She's a busy little bee when she's not asleep, and she is rarely ever fussy.

Her brothers love her and I think she is starting to like them. Sometimes she will play for a while and then come over and put her head on my lap. She did the same thing to Matthew the other day. She gave Davis a big smile and moved toward him, but she's still not sure about him or Alex. They try so hard (too hard)!! I love watching them interact with each other. The first thing they ask me when they wake up in the morning is "Where is Julia?". I usually tell them that she is where they should be...asleep. They love to help feed her and dress her and bathe her. It's usually interesting to watch!

I hope she is enjoying us as much as we are enjoying her. I think she is starting to understand English. She turns her head when I call her Julia about 75% of the time. She plays "soo big" and "peek a boo". She's really a lot like a 12 month old. I really do long to hear the words "Mommy" and "Daddy". Maybe then, I will know she likes us.

One more adorable picture...

Here's our 4

Okay, so maybe not the best of her, but you have to keep in mind how hard it is to get a picture of all 4 at their best.

Finally...we are home!

All the waiting is over. We landed in the US Saturday at 4:30pm at the Atlanta Airport. She is now a US Citizen! There were 4 Russian adopted children on the flight with us and the flight attendants sang God Bless America to them. Julia was an absolute angel on the flight. She cried maybe 15 minutes of the entire flight (11 hours and 12 minutes!!) We finally arrived at our airport at 9:50 pm. Bryan and the boys were there waiting for us with banners. The boys were beyond excited when they saw her. I've posted a picture of her in the airport with Daddy and Davis. She was a champ!!

Okay, now fast forward 3 days and we are getting adjusted. We've discovered a few things about her. She is very laid back. She's having the hardest time sleeping. Every 2 hours or so, she wakes up crying. During the day, she is as happy as can be. She smiles at all of us and I think she knows who I am. She eats like a 6 months old. She drinks a bottle and only eats baby food. So far, she likes it all. She's a fast mover. She can crawl and pull herself up. If you let her, she will stand on her own, but the floor is harder than her crib was. That might have been a game she played in her crib! She has great hand-eye coordination. She can pick up a small crumb off the floor (Although you all know there is none in my kitchen!!ha ha).

We went to the doctor yesterday. She passed with flying colors! The doctor was overall pleased with her general health and noted that she seemed up to par with her social skills. She was a bit afraid and wanted me! That is a good sign of attachment. The doctor has referred us to an orthopedic to look at her hips and an opthamologist to check her eyes. In both cases, she (the doctor) feels optimistic that there is not a problem, but wants to be sure. We have to start immunization, too, but I am going to wait until she is feeling safer with us!

We are tired over here, but we know that our prayers were answered, and that we have been given the most incredible gift of our lives! I will take some more pictures and put them on here.

Katie

We've been to the US Embassy

One of the last stops is done. We went to the Embassy today to get her visa and passport. There were 13 other American families there. So many cute babies. Julia was a quiet as a mouse until they called us up. She started crying. However, while waiting, she loved seeing all the other children. I can't wait for her to see her brothers!! The process took about 1 hour. Tomorrow we have 2 appointments (Russian Consulate and Minister of Education)and then....we can officially leave. I'm really homesick and can not wait to sleep in my own bed.

She's with me!

We got her! Doesn't she look like she's saying "This is more like it!"?

We ran around Moscow all day and at 4:30 we picked her up. It was a fast, relatively painless transaction. We walked in the baby home, gave presents, changed her clothes and then viola...they handed her to me. There were several caregivers there telling me things about her. Of course, via Galina, our translator. You could tell they were happy for her. One of the women was crying a little. They told me that they wanted her to have a life of joy. I cried a bit. Not because of her, but because of them. You know it was hard for them. Julia was scared in the car, but once she figured out she could squirm around, she was happy. The trip back from the home is usually 1 1/2 hours. It took us 5!! We didn't get back to the hotel until 10pm. It was brutal!! Fortunately, they just fed her before we came, and I packed some juice. I've never in my life been in that kind of traffic. We could have walked back faster. Jim calculated that it was less than a 20 mile drive.

She slept from 12am until 6am. She's afraid of the crib. I feel like I have a newborn! We had to go to the doctor this morning, and he said she was healthy, but cutting teeth. I'll believe it when I see one!! That's it for the day. Jim is at the Kremlin. I'm staying in the hotel with Julia. I'm hoping she will decide to like the crib. I need a nap. Although she hasn't slept, she is an angel and smiles all the time! (except at the doctor)

It looks like it might snow again. Only 2 more days!!! Katie